1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electrochemical means and more particularly to hydrogen anodes, electrochemical cells and batteries of an improved type.
2. Prior Art
There are numerous designs for secondary rechargeable electrochemical batteries. Most are directed specifically to systems employing a metal oxide-to-metal couple, such as the nickel oxide-cadmium couple or the silver oxide-zinc couple. More recently, however, metal-hydrogen secondary electrochemical battery systems, such as U.S. patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,867,199, 3,990,910 and 3,565,691 have become increasingly attractive from the standpoint of obtaining a relatively high volumetric energy density and a larger number of charge-discharge cycles.
In order to provide the necessary high energy density and be commercially feasible, it is essential to have a secondary rechargeable battery comprising a plurality of cells arranged in a compact relationship. The construction of such a battery is complicated, however, when the anode of each cell must, during operation, be freely accessible to hydrogen. Heretofore, the problems of construction have resulted in less than optimal compactness and substantial expense.
It therefore would be highly desirable to provide a high energy density rechargeable secondary electrochemical battery of the metal-hydrogen type having simplified inexpensive construction permitting convenient assembly and efficient charging and discharging with a maximum of compactness.